I love the holidays. But sometimes, I don’t love what happens to so many of us during the holidays. We lose ourselves… we might eat too much, too often. Or we drink too much, too often. We lose touch with ourselves a bit… or we stop our exercise routines, first for days, then weeks. Altogether, we get away from our healthy habits, and make it an uphill climb when we finally get back to it … in the New Year. Which brings me to the topic – simple holistic healthy living tips for the holidays!

There are some very simple ways to stick to holistic healthy living choices and still embrace the holidays fully! Sometimes, it only takes one good effort per day to give yourself the momentum boost you need to stay on track and stick to your holistic healthy lifestyle habits. Here are five of my favourite ones:

1. Make the effort to MOVE (for optimal health and wellness)

There will be some days when you can’t do your normal routine. But even on those days, you can make a plan to get outside and walk. Or hike. Or run/walk. Especially during these short winter days when the light is “flat”, getting out while we move and appreciate the beauty of nature in winter has so many benefits for optimal health and wellness. And with working at home a necessity for many, and social contacts limited, getting out and moving becomes even more important. Our daily walks around the neighbourhood have become highlights of our days.

2. Explore healthy holiday nourish strategies

There are some great ways to cook your favourite holiday meals  – but prepare them in a healthier way. Oven roasted versus fried is a delicious and easy option. Less sugar and syrups hidden in dishes is great. Make a point to get all the colours of the rainbow on the table. (Beautiful and tasty!). Break with tradition and have a salad with your holiday meals. And NO – do not go hungry all day so that it won’t be as bad to eat more at dinner – it will just make you go overboard because you are starving! Instead, drink tons of water, have some healthy balanced (protein+colours) foods before – and eat well, mindfully and joyfully!
Important: if and when you indulge in treats, make it a conscious decision and enjoy it … and put a mental ‘fence’ around it. But do enjoy!

3. Have a ready-made Recovery Plan

No matter what you do, there might be days when you do indulge a little too much. It happens to almost all of us! And 2020 is a year when a lot of us will say “I am going to have a good time, what else is there to do!”. When that happens, make sure you have a ready-made Recovery Plan. Here are some key elements of a good plan: a) Make the first day after your “party” day a clean up day; b) Drink a lot of water, or herbal tea, to hydrate yourself; c) Do not guilt trip yourself – look forward and be positive with yourself; d) Get outside and move – let the fresh air cleanse you; and e) Stay away from alcohol and sugar. Enjoy the feeling of being clean … and think about extending your mini-clean-up to two or three days.

4. Be Healthily Selfish (a cornerstone holistic healthy habit!)

It’s so easy during the holidays to focus so much on others that we lose track of ourselves. Instead, turn that around and make a point of being healthily selfish for a little bit of time each and every day. Check in with yourself see where you are at. Carve out a little space for YOU each day, and plan something that makes you happy and moves you towards your optimal health and wellness.

5. Count your Blessings

Finally, the Holidays are a time of reflection. This year even more so. Be plan-ful about your reflection each day, and take the time to do a Gratitude exercise. What are you thankful for, in your life? What have you learned this year that you can use to take forward in 2021? In all the drama and challenges of this year, what has been special in your life? Focus on what is good in your life, and use this holiday time of reflection to identify the good stuff that you want to take forward into 2021. Have you slowed down in a good way? Spent more time with those close to you, and learned more about them?

2021 is just around the corner, and it will be welcome! AND – we can use the last few weeks of 2020 to get ourselves into the right space to make next year our healthiest (and most fulfilling) ever! Use these simple holistic healthy living tips for the holidays to stay on track with healthy habits during the Holiday weeks. And look out for my upcoming plans and offers to make 2021 your healthiest year ever.

I hope this supports you,

Barbara

P.S: Extra tip: For healthy sweet options and to learn how to bust sweet cravings the Optimum You way – download a few simple recipes and tips here.